“Commission Vet [observed] riding crop welts on the right flank of Ray’s Angel, winner of the 7th Race at Canterbury Park on July 19; Jockey Denny Velazquez is hereby assessed a civil penalty of $1,500. The Board of Stewards finds Velazquez’ previous history – seventh rule violation in the last three years involving prohibited use of the riding crop – to be an aggravating circumstance necessitating an enhanced penalty.”

WELTS. A history of abuse. A $1500 “civil penalty”? “Enhanced”?

Watch the force Velazquez brings to bear on Ray’s Angel; bluntly speaking, he is beating the hell out of him…

Saturday, the stewards at Prairie Meadows ruled:

“Having reviewed the video replay of the 8th race on August 3…Jockey Ramon Vazquez is hereby assessed an administrative penalty of $1,000 for excessive whipping (48 strikes in the final 3 ½ furlongs) of his horse…

Multiple species of highly protected/endangered wildlife will be shipped to China soon from the DR-Congo. These include six gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), eight Bonobos, eight chimpanzees, four manatees, and ten Okapis per zoo.

Two zoos = double the number

12 gorillas
16 bonobos
16 chimpanzees
8 manatees
20 Okapis

THE SPECIES

Eastern Gorillas (Gorilla beringei) live in the mountainous forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, northwest Rwanda and southwest Uganda. This region was the epicentre of Africa’s “world war”, to which Gorillas have also fallen victim. The Mountain Gorilla subspecies (Gorilla beringei beringei), has been listed as Critically Endangered since 1996.

Due to high levels of illegal hunting, and habitat destruction and degradation, Pan paniscus is estimated to have experienced a significant population reduction in the last 15–20 years and it is thought that this reduction will continue for the next 60 years. Currently, by…

When the ranger studied the ragtag crew he was supervising, seven young men repairing a rugged road that leads to Virunga National Park, it did not take much to see what he had in common with them. They were all born and raised in or around the park on the eastern edge of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. None of them were rich. None of them would ever be rich. All of them had seen loved ones fall by the capricious machete stroke…

Before the Armory came into being, I was publishing Notes on my Facebook profile which I called political grenades, weapons to be wielded in the war for animal rights. Those modest apothegms and observations have grown to over two thousand grenades and articles.

In addition to regular articles, the Armory has begun publishing Politically Incorrect, an ongoing, daily stream of grenades that I hope will be shared extensively.

Most will be provocative, all will be irreverent, many seditious, and each will be designed to hit people upside the head.

The purpose of the Armory is to challenge people to think, to question what they believe, to weigh what they value.

To question authority, society, law, government, religion, politics, and their own worldviews.

I believe the Armory to be the most radical and incendiary blog for universal rights to be found…

Beef, it’s what’s for dinner. With a large side of wildlife slaughter.” ~ Madravenspeak column, “Federal Wildlife Services Program Serves Up Poison”

“Jane Goodall gave the documentary about (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s) Wildlife Services, “EXPOSED,” rave reviews and wants millions to see it,” according to the website Predator Defense. “(W)histle-blowers go on the record showing Wildlife Services for what it really is — an unaccountable, out-of-control, wildlife killing machine that acts at the bidding of corporate agriculture and the hunting lobby, all with taxpayer dollars.” It’s on YouTube here.

“The U.S. government is using your tax money to wage a war against wild animals so that ranchers raising livestock for meat can keep getting richer,” according to Sarah Schweig, writing on the website The Dodo.

In 1895, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services was initiated to promote beef production and control natural…

“As part of the Carnivore Coexistence Lab, Fran’s research has revolved around the integration and application of environmental and animal ethics to coexistence with wildlife, and the evaluation of the effectiveness of lethal and non-lethal methods to prevent conflicts with large carnivores (the gray wolf, in particular). His main objective is to reform human-wildlife interactions by embedding in them the acknowledgment of moral standing for individual nonhuman animals.

I met with Francisco at Café Zuma on Atwood Avenue to understand more of his background and efforts.